Part III - 1: Three Heads are Better than Two

"Come on, Joey!" I groaned. "Stop thinking about Suzi's body!"

"I can't help it. I keep thinking about last night. Seeing her naked body in her mirror... "

"Oh, Joey," Suzi sighed. "Now you got Tim thinking it too. I swear. You guys look at playboys all the time. What is so different?"

"Yours is real," I said.

"Yeah, and it's real sexy too," Joey added. "Not made-up like those playboy girls are."

"Thanks Joey," Suzi said sweetly. "But you're still not going to get another look until Saturday. Now come on. Let's get this over with. I'm starting to get a little cramped sitting like this."

We were in our private little air-conditioned room on the third floor, sitting in a circle on the floor. This was the third time we had been allowed to skip class in the four months the room had been set up, and the first time since coming back from Christmas break. With Suzi's and my help, Joey's performance in class had finally improved enough for a few teachers to give their permission, if he kept his grades up.

So far I hadn't been able to link our intelligences together. I could go through their memories, share their bodies and feelings, monitor their thoughts and alter them, but I hadn't been able to merge our thought processes together. We couldn't think as one being.

"I don't think it will ever work," Joey said for the hundredth time.

"Joey, if you don't stop saying that, I'm going to tell Higgs you don't need to come up here anymore. I can find someone else to do this with, ya know."

"Okay, okay. But I just mean I don't think sitting in a circle yoga style with blindfolds on is going to work."

"We wouldn't need the blindfolds if you could stop looking at Suzi's chest or my pants."

"Oh yeah? Then why are we wearing bras on our heads? Tell me that."

"I saw it in a movie, and I liked the idea."

"Okay, that's it," Suzi said while removing the bra and blindfold. "I'm not going to sit around listening to you two while my butt goes numb. Why can't we try doing this on the couch?"

"Because Joey would be sitting next to one if not both of us, and you know what that means," I said while I also slipped the bra and blindfold off my head.

"I do NOT get a boner just from sitting next to you two!"

Suzi and I looked at each other with a knowing look, then she said, "Fine. Let's do this on the couch!"

"Okay, okay. We haven't tried the couch yet," I sighed.

"I'll even sit in the middle," Joey said as he plopped his butt down on the center cushion.

Suzi and I sat down, and we all closed our eyes at the same time. It was a neat effect that Joey thought of, and we all kinda got a kick out of it. It gave my mom goosebumps when we had tried it in front of her.

We all started concentrating on counting up to 100, trying to stay in sync with each other as much as possible. As usual, I started to feel a slight connection. Something always seemed to distract one of us and then the feeling got lost. This time, Suzi had an itch that wouldn't leave her alone.

"Sorry," she said as she scratched. "Well Joey, I guess you proved us wrong. You actually don't have a boner from sitting next to both of us."

"It's all a matter of willpower," Joey said brightly. "This morning I woke up with one, but instead of getting off in the bathroom like I usually do, I started thinking about math and it went down just like that."

"That makes it even more amazing," I said with a grin. "This means you haven't shot off for over twelve hours. That's a record for you, Joey."

"Hey, you're right! Man. I hope I haven't lost it or anything."

"I think my itch is scratched enough now," Suzi said quickly.

"Okay," I said as we closed our eyes again. I started again. I was just starting to get something.

"Joey!" Suzi and I both moaned again.

"Sorry," Joey said while shifting his boner in his shorts. "I guess you spoke too soon, Suz."

We waited a few minutes for Joey to settle down, then we closed our eyes for another go. I felt the connection form faster that time. I started trying to focus on the feeling again, and for moment I thought I was getting somewhere, when another distraction presented itself.

"Knock, knock!" Principal Higgs said as he opened the door.

We all breathed out a fast sigh of irritation, but got some revenge when we opened our eyes slowly at the same time. It had its intended affect. Higgs's expression caused Suzi to giggle.

"Ha ha," Higgs said, catching on he had been had. "Sorry to interrupt, but considering you haven't been getting anywhere, I thought I might be able suggest something. If you could explain what you're trying to do, and what isn't working, I thought I might be able to come up with something."

"Well, I wouldn't say we haven't been getting anywhere... " I said defensively. "It's just something always distracts one of us just as I start getting it to work."

"Have you tried just doing it with two people instead of three?"

"Yeah, but then it's like we're in two bodies at once. We share everything, but it isn't like we're one person."

"Well, maybe you can't merge minds together. Maybe if you ever get it to work with three people, it will just be three people sharing three bodies like with two."

"I thought of that, but we already do that all the time, and it is a lot easier to do than what we're trying. I've gotten a piece of it three times now, but like I said, something always distracts one of us."

"Usually Joey," Suzi added.

"Shut up. You're the one who sneezed all over Tim the first time." Joey smirked.

"Okay, I get the picture," Higgs interrupted. "You think you can get it to work if you three can just concentrate on it long enough. Hmm."

We politely waited for him, not really believing he could actually help us in any way. After all, we had been doing this kind of stuff together for several months now, and Higgs had never even experienced it. We were the experts.

"I think I may be able to help. How easily distracted are you Tim?"

"I only got distracted once because, er, I had to go the bathroom."

Joey smirked again at that one, but quickly dropped it before Higgs saw it.

"Have any of you ever been hypnotized?" Higgs asked.

"Hypnotized?" We all said instantaneously.

"Now stop that. Yes, hypnotized. I could hypnotize Joey and Suzi. They would ignore the outside world and focus on whatever you're doing. It's quite safe."

None of us had been hypnotized before, and I knew Joey and Suzi were a little uncomfortable with the idea of Higgs hypnotizing them.

"Mr. Higgs, I have an idea. I think it would be faster if I did the hypnotizing. You don't need to show me how or anything if you just let me use your memories while I'm doing it the first time."

"I suppose that would be okay. It kind of takes the fun out of it for me, but it would be interesting to see you do it like that."

"If you want, I can pay you back somehow... "

"No, that's not neccessary. I couldn't charge extra for doing my job. At least I suppose I am teaching you how to do this. Indirectly at least."

I looked at Joey and Suzi, and said, "Is this okay with you?"

"I guess," Suzi said.

Joey nodded, then smiled and said, "I don't think we have to worry about you making us bark like a dog whenever someone says 'walk'. I mean, you could have done that a long time ago."

"Do we need to do anything before we start?" I asked Higgs.

"Well, I do have a question, if you don't mind. Why is Joey wearing a bra on his head?"

Joey started turning red again, and with a stupid grin, he slid it off his head.

"Uh... We, er. I kinda saw it in a movie," I stammered out.

"I see. Well, if Suzi would take off her bracelet and necklace so she won't accidentally hurt herself with them, we can get started."

"You ready?" I asked Higgs.

"Should I be sitting down or something?" he asked.

"You won't even know I'm in your head. I just didn't want to start without you knowing I was doing it."

"That's very... polite of you. Okay, go ahead."

I popped in his mind and found him recalling the memories of the last time he hypnotized someone. I watched them as they ran through his mind. I found the memories fascinating. It was so easy. Or at least it had appeared that way.

I started talking in a soft voice to Suzi and Joey. I had them relax on the couch, then told them to pick out a spot on the ceiling and not move their eyes from that spot. I spoke about how the couch felt underneath them, how nice and soothing the air conditioner sound was. I mentioned how relaxed their toes felt, and how nice it would be if that feeling slowly started to move up their feet and legs. I talked about how relaxed they were, and then started to repeat some of the things I had said before.

I mentioned how their eyes were starting to feel heavy. How nice it felt to relax on the couch, listening to my voice as they felt the toes tingling... you get the picture.

Pretty soon I had Suzi in a light trance, but Joey was still awake and alert. Both of them had closed their eyes. I tried a while longer to get Joey to go under without success, so I quietly asked Higgs why Joey hadn't but Suzi had.

"Some people naturally are more resistant to hypnosis than others. Joey must be one of those people. I didn't see you do anything wrong, he just can't let go like Suzi did."

I thought about this for a moment, then softly asked Joey to open his eyes. He opened them and blinked several times, then I looked directly in his eyes, getting that familiar feeling. I started to run through it again, but this time I projected relaxation and all the feelings I had felt Suzi go through. That worked so well, I brought them both out of the trance and put them under again even deeper in just over a minute.

I sat down between them, closed my eyes, and started the counting. I felt the connection form, and started focusing in on it. The connection started to grow, making our thoughts seem louder, and the boundaries between us became fuzzy. As this new linking grew stronger, we started feeling confused with conflicting ideas over how to breathe, how to think, memories, everything. My 'self' was dissolving into a 'we', and 'we' started trying to keep ourselves from falling apart. It was working, but just the effort to keep our bodies breathing was taking most of 'our' energy.

After we decided that had been enough for a first time, we started to separate. That was the most confusing time of it all. Finding yourself with only 1/3 of the memories you had a moment ago, not really sure that your originals were really all there.

My head felt a little sore, and I knew that was it for the day. I didn't even open my eyes when Suzi and Joey came to. I was extremely drained.

"Well, did it work?" Higgs asked.

"Yeah, you could say that," Joey replied.

"Tim, what's the matter?" Suzi asked.

"Tired," I said softly without opening my eyes or moving my head.

"You want to lay down?" Suzi queried.

"Yes," I muttered.

Suzi helped me to lay down and Joey helped me get my legs up on the couch.

"Do you think we should have the nurse look at him?" Higgs said concerned.

"He'll be okay," Joey replied. "Sometimes he gets pretty tired when we're, uhm, playing around. He's never been this bad, but he should be back to normal in 20 minutes, maybe 30."

"Well that will be into the next class period," Higgs said looking at his watch. "If he isn't feeling strong enough when the bell rings, one of you can stay with him. Once he feels strong enough to go to class, come down to my office and I'll write you both a pass."

Joey and Suzi said okay, and Higgs said a few things I didn't catch before he left.

I wasn't paying attention to what Joey and Suzi were doing until I heard the bell ring and someone leave. I was almost ready to open an eye to see who had stayed behind, when I felt Suzi's soft hand caress my cheek.

"Hi," I said softly.

"Hi yourself. You feeling better?"

"A little. Can I hold you?"

"Sure."

I slowly made room for her by laying on my side, then Suzi laid down on the couch in front of me. I wrapped my arm around her midsection, and laid my head on her shoulder, breathing in her sweet smell.

After a few minutes of teeter-tottering on my side, she moved over and up a little bit, and then she was holding me. My cheek was laying on the upper part of her breast, and if I had been feeling more energetic, I would have probably done something that would have made her get up.

We both must have fallen asleep like that. The next thing I knew, the last bell rang. Somehow be both managed to get to our busses in time.

I was still a little tired, but it didn't slow me down. Joey was talking to the guy behind us on the bus, so I let my mind wander around. I started to pick something up that wasn't the normal background sea of thoughts. Someone on the bus was emitting very strange thoughts. I started checking each person, and finally narrowed it down to a tenth grader sitting in the back seat. He was high on something.

"Joey, check out the kid in the back seat," I thought to Joey.

Joey, having become an expert at covering up our mental conversations, didn't even pause in mid-sentence while he looked over everyone's heads, trying to catch a glance at the back seat's occupant. All he could see was the top of a dark haired head.

"What's he doing?" Joey thought back to me.

"I think he's... yep. He was smokin' pot. Wow. It really does make you feel... nice... But man. It's like someone turned his brain's volume knob down. It's so quiet. And his thoughts feel so... goofy. That's what drew my attention to him... I gotta quit listening to him. It's making me feel yucky."